Boris Johnson: Over 70s to be offered vaccine by February 15th

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the country to follow the stringent new measures on Monday as he announced hospital admissions are at their highest since the peak of Covid in April. The new lockdown came into force as the Prime Minister was speaking on Monday evening at 8pm, and are expected to remain in place until late February or March. Speaking from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: “It’s both frustrating and alarming to see the speed that the new variant is spreading.

“It’s clear we need to do more together to bring the new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out.

“In England, we must therefore go into a national lockdown.”

Under the new measures, Brits will only be able to leave their homes for a handful of essential reasons.

Mr Johnson said people should only go out of their homes to buy essentials, such as food and medical supplies, attend medical appointments and exercise.

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Brits are also permitted to leave their homes for work if their jobs can’t be done from home.

In addition, people can continue providing essential care and support for a vulnerable person and attend education premises if eligible.

Schools will be closed across the country, with a return to online learning for schoolchildren around England, and only children of key workers or vulnerable children can return to the classroom as scheduled.

But all these new rules have people scratching their heads as to what it means for separated parents who share custody of their children.

Can I still see my child in national lockdown?

The Prime Minister has advised that people follow the stay-at-home guidance immediately.

This means households can’t mix anymore, with homes only being allowed to create a childcare bubble or one support bubble.

The good news is that children can continue seeing both parents.

Children who have their parents in different households will be able to keep moving between homes as they have been throughout the pandemic.

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Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove clarified the rules in an interview with BBC News during the last lockdown.

Mr Gove said: “My heart goes out to people who are having to wrestle with all the emotional difficulties.

“The key thing here is that if you want to ensure that children can see both parents, then they can be moved from one parent to another.

“I wasn’t sufficiently clear, it is the case that children under the age of 18 can see both parents.”

Parents are also able to continue a childcare bubble.

The purpose of childcare bubbles is to help provide support for households with a child under the age of 14 with informal childcare needs.

The Government guidance reads: “You might be able to form a childcare bubble to provide or receive childcare from one other household if you live with someone under the age of 14.

“However, you must not meet socially with your childcare bubble, and must avoid seeing members of your childcare and support bubbles at the same time.”

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